Katdish.net

I was raised to always say “please” and “thank you”, a tradition I am trying to instill in my children who will hopefully pass down to their children. I don’t want my kids to say thank you automatically. I want their thank yous to be the result of the overflow of gratitude from their hearts.

“for out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” ~ Luke 6:45b

There are few attitudes which can so drastically change your outlook on life as one of gratefulness. Instead of complaining about having leftovers again, you can delight in the knowledge that your family has more than enough to eat. It is from this position of gratitude where you may be compelled to help others who are not so fortunate. But one must be careful not to give with the expectation of being the recipient of gratitude from those you help. That’s not generosity; that’s self-righteous manipulation. I grappled with this very realization while volunteering at a temporary shelter housing Katrina survivors.

Should people be grateful? Absolutely. But you can’t force anyone to be grateful anymore than you can force someone to be generous. They either are or they’re not. Compounding the problem is the fact that we live in a society where there is an ever-increasing atmosphere of entitlement.  Why should anyone feel grateful for something they believe they deserve in the first place?

Before this post spirals into a socio-economic-political-philosophical tangent (which incidentally, it did before I deleted most of what I typed here), I think what I’m so feebly trying to communicate here is best summed up in the following quote:

“Gratitude is a duty which ought to be paid, but which none have the right to expect.”
~ Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Honestly? I still have some work to do.

“In normal life we hardly realize how much more we receive than we give, and life cannot be rich without such gratitude. It is so easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements compared with what we owe to the help of others.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

This post is part of the blog carnival on Gratitude, hosted by Bridget Chumbley. To read more, please visit her site.

Sheesh! Apparently these questions were quite a bit harder than I thought they would be. Heck, even Billy got one of them wrong! But here’s Billy with the answers:

Question 1:Writing wasn’t Billy’s first career choice. What were his career plans in high school?
a) Mail carrier
b) Professional baseball player
c) College professor
d) MMA cage fighter
e) None of the above

The correct answer is B, professional baseball player. And you know what? All these years later, I’ll still have dreams at night that I’m hitting a baseball.

Question 2:Billy loves his Blue Ridge Mountains, but he also feels at home at:
a) The Rivah (or “The River” for you non-Virginians)
b) The beach
c) Richmond, VA
d) Washington, D.C.

That’s also B. There’s a certain freedom that only salt air and endless sea can provide. If I don’t get to the beach at least once a year, I’m a wreck.

Question 3:Billy once wrote that if God had made him an animal, he would be a:
a) snake
b) wolf
c) bear
d) eagle
e) bulldog

B yet again. An old Apache once told me so. And no, I’m not kidding.

Question 4:Billy Coffey has a few comfort foods. Which of the following is NOT one of them?
a) Beef jerky
b) Chocolate covered pecans
c) Starbuck’s coffee ice cream
d) Jolly Rancher jelly beans
e) Peanuts and Coca Cola

B – Who in the world eats chocolate covered pecans?

Question 5:
Billy once unknowingly tried to pick a fight with a group of:
a) Secret service agents
b) Black Panthers
c) Professional wrestlers
d) Navy SEALS

That would be D. Though in my defense, I did not know they were Navy SEALS. And thank you, Jesus, for making them very polite guys.

Question 6:Snow Day was not originally written as a novel. What was it presented to the publisher as?
a) Spiritual memoir
b) autobiography
c) self-help book
d) a collection of short stories

A – Snow Day was originally written as a spiritual memoir.

Question 7:Billy counts as one of his special talents his ability to:
a) hula hoop
b) fall asleep just about anywhere
c) ride a unicycle
d) say the alphabet backwards without pausing

B – I have fallen asleep while standing, sitting, lying down (of course), talking, and reading. I once even fell asleep in the shower. Strangely enough, I do not suffer from narcolepsy. Chalk it up to late night writing sessions.

Question 8:Billy’s maternal grandfather was a missionary. Which of the following countries did he NOT travel to?:
a) Turkey
b) Haiti
c) Russia
d) Japan

D – My grandfather never went to Japan. He was kidnapped by voodoo practitioners in Haiti and claimed to have found a piece of Noah’s ark in Turkey, but he never went to Japan. Bet he would’ve loved it, though.

Question 9:True or False: Snow Day is the first book Billy has ever written.

False. It’s just the first book I’ve written that managed to get published…

Question 10:Who does Billy Coffey consider to be his hero?
a) Jack Bauer
b) Don Mattingly
c) His dad
d) All of the above
e) None of the above

D – All of the above, and mostly because all three embody everything I want to be as a man. Even if one of them is fictional. (Which would be A).

Question 11:Billy Coffey has referred to himself as “the Cal Ripkin of not puking.” When was the last time he threw up?
a) March 31, 2001
b) December 24, 1995
c) January 1, 1989
d) Last Friday

That would be B – Christmas Eve, 1995. There are a few things in my life that I am supremely proud of. That is one of them.

Question 12:The first blog post I ever read by Billy Coffey was entitled “The Fruit Salad”. In the comments section, I referred to him as:
a) A gifted storyteller
b) The next Max Lucado
c) A jerk
d) None of the above

C – That’s right, C. Seriously people, this is Katdish we’re talking about.

Question 13:Shortly after I left the aforementioned comment on “What I Learned Today”, I received my first blog comment from Billy Coffey. It was:
a) Thanks for visiting my blog. Nice to “meet” you.
b) My grandmother has forgiven me for dropping the “f” bomb on her.
c) Please stop leaving snarky comments on my blog. Who do you think you are?
d) I. LOVE. This. Blog.

D. And that’s something she seems to constantly remind me.

Question 14:Shortly before Billy Coffey started writing his regular Monday posts here, I wrote an introduction post. What was the main reason I cited for asking him to guest post for me?
a) my desire to help him broaden his audience
b) lack of writing time due to several upcoming painting jobs
c) an attempt to class up the place
d) in increase in female readership

B again.

Editor’s Note: Lack of writing time due to several upcoming painting jobs was what I told Billy, the main reason cited in my introduction post was D - An increase in female readership. (Incidentally, my favorite comment from that post came from Wendy at Weight… What: “Using Billy as man-candy? Shame on you! Now do it some more.”

Question 15:Billy’s next novel is called “Paper Angels”. It is the story of:
a) a young southern boy and his love of origami.
b) a man with a guardian angel he can actually see and talk to
c) a rookie first baseman for the California Angels baseball team
d) a murder mystery set in a small logging community

Paper Angels is about a man named Andy Sommerville, who is either cursed (which he believes at first) or blessed (which he believes later on) to have his guardian angel as a best friend.

So there you have it, folks. No one (including Billy) answered all of the questions correctly. However, the person who had the least number of questions wrong and the winner of a personally autographed copy of Snow Day is a long time reader of Billy’s writing, so it seems only fitting that she should win. Congratulations…

Joanne Sher!

I’ll have one more giveaway before Christmas, so you still have a chance to win. Thanks to everyone who participated. I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about the man behind the cowboy hat.

(This post was orginally run in June, 2008. Funny how I still struggle with some of the same stuff I did back then. Guess I’m pretty thick-headed.)

 Awhile back, my husband bought a tuffshed to store our lawn equipment. But before we’re able to put anything in it, it needs to be painted. I started with the basecoat, but I’ve been putting off the completion of the job. The main reason is that it’s so stinkin’ hot outside. But the other reason is that I knew I would be doing it by myself. Get my husband within 10 feet of a can of paint and he breaks into a cold sweat. There’s an unwritten rule in our home: painting anythingis my department. I’m usually fine with this. When I’m inside, my kids are here to keep me company, or at the very least, I can turn on the radio. In the tuffshed, I stand alone.

The basecoat is finished. I completed it yesterday. And yes, I spend most of the day without any human company. But sometimes, forced seclusion is the only way I get some really good face time with God. Such was the case yesterday. As I was painting, my mind began to wander. For some inexplicable reason, I started to think about the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I remember watching the television in horror as the drama in New Orleans played out, thinking to myself, “How could this happen? Why are these people stranded and dying in the streets of New Orleans?, where is the government?” This post is not about whose to blame. I think there’s plenty of blame to go around. This is about the thousands of refugees who came pouring into Houston in the days and weeks to follow, and the ones I came face to face with right here in my little town just west of Houston.

Like most churches in the area, mine held a meeting to discuss how we could help. Among other things, we set up a clothing and basic toiletries donation center in our church. We also signed up to feed the Katrina survivors who were staying at another local church. A group of volunteers from our church went over once a week and cooked and served lunch for approximately 100 people. It made me feel good that I was able to help out. I came in with such a great attitude, ready to bless the socks off those poor people. Many of the survivors were truly grateful, and again, that made me feel good. But others were not as forthcoming with the thanks yous. They were downright nasty. They complained about what type of food we served and how much they were given. Many just glared at me and others from our church. I’d like to say I didn’t take it personally, but I would be lying. I got pretty indignant about the whole process: “Who do they think they are? Don’t they know we’re trying to help them? They should be grateful they got out of New Orleans alive and have a roof over their heads!” I don’t regret what we did, and I’d do again in a heartbeat. But after my conversation with God yesterday, I think if there’s a next time, my attitude will be different.

While I was painting in the tuffshed, God said to me, “It’s not about you.” Now, I realize that that’s Rick Warren’s line – but hey, He is God after all, so I guess they’re all His lines. I’m pretty hard on Christians who sport the Jesus fish on their car, never miss a Sunday in church, let everyone know that they’re going to heaven, but don’t strive to live a life abiding in Jesus. And then I realized that’s exactly what I am. The fact that I expected some gratitude from those people exposed my heart to me for the first time since it happened. My motives were completely wrong. I wasn’t trying to be the hands and feet of Jesus, I was expecting payment in the form of gratefulness. So, I’m laying this at the foot of the cross, asking God to forgive me for selfish motives and seeking His help to become a true follower of Jesus, and I am convicted by these words:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself and became obedient to death —

even death on the cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11

Do everything without complaining or arguing,

so that you may become blameless and pure,

children of God without fault

in a crooked and depraved generation,

in which you shine like stars in the universe

Philippians 2:14-15

I want to be shiny…

For those of you keeping score at home, I’ve been posting these twitter updates for almost 2 years. Of the 70 updates I’ve posted, my friend Steph has been missing from roughly one of them. Which, of course, she complained about. So this week I’m happy to report that Steph is back in the update. In other news, according to Yahoo Answers, a Jedi lite saber can, in fact, cut through Superman.

And now the best of me (or not) on the twitter this week:

Okay, gotta go refill my wastebasket with coffee @kelybreez

@jpwire Oh, I’m warped for a whole host of reasons. Pin cushions filled w/human hair is just one of them. (in reply to jpwire @katdish kinda creepy. no wonder you are warped. )

@jpwire She says it keeps the needles sharp. Worst part? That pin cushion is 40 yrs old. That’s some old hair (in reply to jpwire @katdish That’s awesome. especially if it was hair from her victims. LOL)

@jpwire I should write a horror story post about the pin cushion my mom has stuffed with HUMAN HAIR. (in reply to jpwire @katdish I can’t either. but I found I’m lethal with a needle and pin cushion.)

@jpwire Except that I can’t sew… (in reply to jpwire @katdish I think you would be great addition to the sewing circle. )

Snort! >RT @kelybreez: Today, I’m gonna #FF @katdish, because hardly anybody knows her.

@kelybreez Dude. That’s my coffee! (in reply to kelybreez @katdish Oh, my goodness, when I woke up this morning I was wondering, Whose gonna post a picture of a wastebasket today? Now I know.)

http://yfrog.com/jjj1ebj Morning all!

@br8kthru It’s my deep, abiding dysfunctional respect for your goofiness (in reply to br8kthru @katdish now it makes sense why you ignore me for long stretches. )

@kelybreez Are you vying for 2 entries into the katdishionary? (in reply to kelybreez @katdish Really? I was just about to say you were awesomischievouliscious.)

My FB friend Hazel Moon just called me “awesomely mischievous”. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s told me all day.

@br8kthru You know, Jason. You’re like the pesky little brother I never had (in reply to br8kthru @katdish if I’m a ‘boy’ then how do I ‘man up’ -you speak in riddles and mysteries…)

@br8kthru Man up, sweater vest boy. (in reply to br8kthru @katdish *rolling eyes* I should have known better than to try to get sympathy from you.)

@br8kthru Wait…Lemme pull out my tiny violin… (in reply to br8kthru @katdish if you had to deal with all I do, you’d cope by being a goofball too )

@br8kthru You’re such a goofball…

@tonyjalicea There’s no “I” in Team, but there is a “me”. ( in reply to tonyjalicea For the record, there is no “l” in both. Thank you. Your welcome.)

50 Yahoo answer fails (via @weirdnews) “Can a Jedi lite saber cut thru Superman?” http://bit.ly/cpJU35

@Learell Oh, I despise the Cowboys. (in reply to Learell @katdish like the cowboys?)

@kelybreez He’s dead to me. He disrespected Texas.

My 13 YO son keeps changing my radio from rock to 40s big band music. What alternate universe am I living in?

@kelybreez Rantpiling? That may be one for the katdishionary (in reply to kelybreez @katdish Yes. But not rantpiling. It stops you up.)

@kelybreez I’ll have you know that my blood pressure is very low. Ranting is good for the soul if done correctly. (in reply to kelybreez @katdish It’s a commonly known fact that rantpiling causes high blood pressure. And in rare cases is communicable.)

@kelybreez I think I’m going to have to start stockpiling ranting posts, because I could rant about lots of stuff lately.

“Art is the symbol of the two most noblest human efforts: to construct & to refrain from destruction.” ~ Evelyn Waugh

@PeterPollock I’m sure this kind of thing happens all the time. Especially in the Houston area…

@PeterPollock & I just happened to be next to the Christmas table when I reached this decision…

@PeterPollock Yes, that’s what they told me. But if I was walking around w/a stack of books & changed my mind about buying them… (in reply to PeterPollock @katdish Where books go in a store is set corporately, months in advance. Most stores don’t get to pick what goes where.)

Note to self: Next time don’t ask. Just do.

I asked them to move it to the Christmas book table, they said they couldn’t.

Went to Barnes & Noble today. #SnowDayBook was on the 3rd row in the “new fiction” section.

@weightwhat I do, don’t I? (in reply to weightwhat @katdish You take all the best field trips.)

“That’s weird. Never seen an urinal in the Ladies Room before. Wait! I’m in the MENS room!” – Me

@kelybreez Well, you’re the lawyer. (in reply to kelybreez @katdish kat. You’re ridiculous. This clearly means you can put your car here IF your child is the one parking the car. Get a grip.)

This is why I don’t signs like this. They give people an excuse to find a loophole instead of just doing the right thing.

http://yfrog.com/5y4uhaj Technically, I am a customer w/children, even though they’re in school. So I could park here.

@KathleenOverby sorry/you’re welcome (in reply to KathleenOverby @katdish Yes, of course it would you brutal truth teller. This is why I asked. I KNEW your answer and needed it to stop my folly. groan.)

@KathleenOverby Why? Won’t that distract from what you’re creating on the table? (in reply to KathleenOverby @katdish no sun, moon, stars, or paisley designs before I seal it? )

@KathleenOverby Sand it, paint it again, then put a sealer on it. (in reply to KathleenOverby @katdish wish you were here to help me paint the ping pong table, which is really my craft table. I put red on for the base. Now what?)

http://yfrog.com/cai0epj Change of plans. Think I’m gonna drive around & remember my misspent youth for awhile.

Singing obnoxiously loud (in harmony, no less.)

Dang! Anyone remember this one? http://yfrog.com/e6ifzj

Well, except my mom. But she’s just stubborn that way.

My home phone number has become the equivalent to the spam filter on my website. People I need to talk to call my cell phone.

Thinking about writing another “Why I hate writing post” for all you masochistic writers out there.

@SBeeCreations SPACE: Sort, Purge, Access, Containerize, and then something that starts with “E”

@SBeeCreations It says to organize like a kindergarten classroom. Have zones for everything…

@SBeeCreations I’m not much at organizing, but there’s a great book I read that makes sense. Gonna try & find it on Amazon.

@redclaydiaries Snort! ( in reply to redclaydiaries: @katdish Oooh ooh! I’ve got one! For about a year, Charlie asked me to handle bill paying…
C: Steph, why was the electric bill $200 last month?
Me: I don’t know.
C: Was it 2 mos worth?
Me: I don’t know
C: How do u not know? U wrote the check YESTERDAY.
Me: (bats eyelashes)

@redclaydiaries R: How much did you pay for those green beans?
Me: Um, what would be a good price for green beans?
R: 50 cents a can.
Me: Um, yeah. I think that’s what I paid for them.
R: You have no idea do you?
Me: (bats eyelashes)

@redclaydiaries Ooo! Like mine, too. Because she would take the time to clip coupons & stuff (in reply to redclaydiaries @katdish Good point. Yes, a wife with a personality like my husband’s.)

@redclaydiaries Let’s just lay our cards out on the table shall we? Someone who will cook, clean, shop & babysit. (in reply to redclaydiaries @katdish Can they also do laundry? Then I’m all up in that.)

@SBeeCreations No dollar range. What’s something you do that you would pay someone to do?

(That’s one extravagance, right? b/c the cook & shopper would be the same person. He or she would also plan meals & clean the kitchen)

Me? A full time cook and grocery shopper.

If you were to allow yourself one big extravagance, what would it be?

http://yfrog.com/5bmn4mj This is a DVD made for children? GAAA!

Subbed in the toddler class at church today & faced my fear of puppets head on.

@karenzach That’s really nice of you. Kids over 12 in my neighborhood received candy & judgmental stares (in reply to karenzach @katdish We gave out $75 worth of candy and 40 books. We get 400-500 every year. Those over 12 get books)

The great thing about this dog bed is that no matter how often you wash it, it’s still disgusting. http://plixi.com/p/55143962

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I live in Texas, and proudly so. Even though I’ve lived here most of my life, I do remember and miss the four seasons of my home state of Virginia, which technically is a commonwealth, but I digress…

In many parts of America, people have been enjoying cooler temperatures and the changing of the leaves from green to beautiful shades of yellow, orange and red. And while we’ve had a few days here of cooler weather, I’m still wearing my flip flops in the middle of November, and things don’t look particularly “fallish”. No matter;  I set out yesterday to look for signs of fall in my neighborhood.

Besides, who’s to say that one must only enjoy the colors of fall if they happen to fall from a tree? Sure, I had to pay close attention, but there were fall colors all around:

Lots of beautiful bursts of yellow:




And my favorite color any time of year, red:


Okay, so maybe we don’t have bus loads of tourists heading our way to behold the beautiful fall color, but did I mention I’m still wearing flip flops? In November?

And there truly is beauty to be found if you just slow down long enough to notice it:

Like many 13 year old boys, my son plays video games. Much to my dismay, most of them are somewhat violent, and we’ve gone round and round about what is appropriate and what isn’t. The games he is allowed to play (and honestly, the only ones he’s interested in) are military games. We’ve discussed at length the difference between warfare and gratuitous violence. He’s a smart kid and I honestly think he understands the difference.

More recently, he has told us that he wants to enter the military after high school. And while the mother in me is wary of that, I’m also proud of him. My heart tells me he understands the concept of honor; that there are some things worth fighting for. Even dying for.

Then I found this poem he wrote in the 4th grade, which I’ve posted here before. Yes, I think he understands.

I am William B. Travis
I wonder when this war will end
I hear screams of dead men
I see death
I want this war to end
I am William B. Travis
I pretend I am not here
I feel confident
I touch my rifle
I worry I might die
I cry to God I will be alive
I am William B. Travis
I understand that I must do my duty
I say I want freedom
I dream that I will see my family again
I try not to worry
I hope this war will end soon
I am William B. Travis

How to Draw a Picture (Part 10)
(Excerpt from Duma Key by Stephen King)

“Be prepared to see it all. If you want to create–God help you if you do, God help you if you can–don’t you dare commit the immorality of stopping on the surface. Go deep and take your fair salvage.”

How deep are you willing to go?

Do you find yourself swimming in the shallow end of life? Safer there, no? Less of a risk. It’s where most of us seem to congregate isn’t it? We choose not to go deep, where the water is murky. Too many unknowns lurking…

“How are you?”

“Fine, thanks.” (My life is a mess.)

“Work going well?”

“Can’t complain.” (There’s rumors of layoffs and I fear I’m first on the chopping block.)

“What happened at school today?”

“Nothing much…” (I just don’t fit in. I don’t have any friends.)

“Is something wrong?”

“Just tired I guess…” (Yes. Everything’s wrong. I’m hanging on as best I can, but I need you to throw me a lifeline.)

Too many of us live life on the surface and are afraid to dunk our heads and drink deeply, because those waters are murky. But those waters are really the only thing worth tasting in this life.

That’s where we will find Living water.

“For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Revelation 7:17

Who would have thought that my love/hate relationship with writing would be such that I would need to write not just one post, but a series of them? I suppose I could simply categorize my writing posts under “Me ranting incessantly”, but that category is getting pretty substantial, and they might get lost in the shuffle.

I have issues, people!

In case you’re interested, you can find Parts 1 through 3 here:

Why I hate writing
Why I hate writing, Part 2
Why I hate writing, Part 3

Now, where was I? Oh, yeah…

Last Friday, Rachelle Gardner (who, in case you didn’t know, is a literary agent) wrote a post which asked the following question:

“(So) if you had a choice, which would you rather be:

(1) An author publishing steadily to positive reviews and strong critical acclaim, but selling low numbers of books and therefore unable to support yourself with your writing…

or

(2) An author publishing frequently (maybe two books a year) to average reviews and sometimes even being called unflattering names like “hack” yet making an extremely comfortable living and never having to take on other work.

To simplify: Great reviews, critical acclaim and awards… or great sales?”

Of course, I chose “both”, because she’s not the boss of me. Then she told me the point was to choose one, to which I responded, “I don’t wanna”, then she accused me of being a cheater… (This all happened on Twitter, btw. Not on her blog. But I digress.) Anyway, my point is (and I do have one), is that Rachelle posed this as a “thought question”, and rightly so. Because it really got me to thinking.

Not so much about choosing to be a critically acclaimed, award winning author or a best selling one, but about what lengths will you go to achieve the latter?

Before you get to be a published writer, chances are the words you share with the world are yours. They may be edited, but probably self-edited. Whatever point or message you are attempting to convey will be retained. The questions of critical acclaim or strong book sales are largely theoretical, because let’s just be honest: It might not even occur to you that once someone buys your story they may want to change it to fit a certain audience. You write because you have a story to tell, not to fill a niche in some yet unsaturated demographic, right?

Now, don’t misunderstand me. I think editors are the unsung heroes of the literary world. A good editor can make a good story even better, and it is in the best interest of your agent and publisher to do what they can to help you tell your story to an adoring audience. But how much control are you willing to give away in order to see your name on the best seller list? And at what point do you stop writing from your heart and start writing what you think people want to read?

I wonder about this because I have read so many best selling authors who start out with such promise, only to be disappointed by their later books. I don’t lay the blame completely on the marketing of a writer. I think some writers only have one or two good books in them, and that’s okay. What’s not okay is when they continue to write anyway because they think writing something is better than fading into obscurity. You know, like Margaret Mitchell did after she wrote Gone with the Wind or Harper Lee after To Kill a Mockingbird. I bet you probably had to google those writers just to refresh your memory…

I guess the moral of my rambling story is this: If you are fortunate enough to have your work read by a large audience and achieve financial success because of your gift, please don’t take it for granted. Remember why you started writing in the first place. Don’t be a lazy book whore.

Editor’s Note: While I have a rather long list of well known authors whom I consider to be lazy book whores, I will not share any of them here so as not to offend them. While I’m quite confident that none of them read my blog, some of you might really enjoy their books, even though they’re crap. Kidding. Mostly. (See? I’m a great self-editor, huh?)

If you haven’t already entered to win a free, autographed copy of Snow Day by Billy Coffey, see details on Monday’s post. I will be accepting entries until Sunday.

Okay, not really. Made you look, though, huh?

I have been so impressed with the great reviews for Snow Day and excited about all the giveaways, interviews and general excitement for Billy Coffey’s debut novel.

I thought about doing a review or an interview, and I still may do the latter, but for now I wanted to give y’all a chance to win a very special copy of Snow Day—one personally autographed by the author himself.

But you’re gonna have to work for it, so I have compiled a list of trivia questions to test your Billy Coffey knowledge AND, since this is my blog and all, me. Ready? Here we go:

Question 1:Writing wasn’t Billy’s first career choice. What were his career plans in high school?

a) Mail carrier

b) Professional baseball player

c) College professor

d) MMA cage fighter

e) None of the above

Question 2:Billy loves his Blue Ridge Mountains, but he also feels at home at:

a) The Rivah (or “The River” for you non-Virginians)

b) The beach

c) Richmond, VA

d) Washington, D.C.

Question 3:Billy once wrote that if God had made him an animal, he would be a:

a) snake

b) wolf

c) bear

d) eagle

e) bulldog

Question 4:Billy Coffey has a few comfort foods. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

a) Beef jerky

b) Chocolate covered pecans

c) Starbuck’s coffee ice cream

d) Jolly Rancher jelly beans

e) Peanuts and Coca Cola

Question 5:

Billy once unknowingly tried to pick a fight with a group of:

a) Secret service agents

b) Black Panthers

c) Professional wrestlers

d) Navy SEALS

Question 6:Snow Day was not originally written as a novel. What was it presented to the publisher as?

a) Spiritual memoir

b) autobiography

c) self-help book

d) a collection of short stories

Question 7:Billy counts as one of his special talents his ability to:

a) hula hoop

b) fall asleep just about anywhere

c) ride a unicycle

d) say the alphabet backwards without pausing

Question 8:Billy’s maternal grandfather was a missionary. Which of the following countries did he NOT travel to?:

a) Turkey

b) Haiti

c) Russia

d) Japan

Question 9:True or False: Snow Day is the first book Billy has ever written.

Question 10:Who does Billy Coffey consider to be his hero?

a) Jack Bauer

b) Don Mattingly

c) His dad

d) All of the above

e) None of the above

Question 11:Billy Coffey has referred to himself as “the Cal Ripkin of not puking.” When was the last time he threw up?

a) March 31, 2001

b) December 24, 1995

c) January 1, 1989

d) Last Friday

Question 12:The first blog post I ever read by Billy Coffey was entitled “The Fruit Salad”. In the comments section, I referred to him as:

a) A gifted storyteller

b) The next Max Lucado

c) A jerk

d) None of the above

Question 13:Shortly after I left the aforementioned comment on “What I Learned Today”, I received my first blog comment from Billy Coffey. It was:

a) Thanks for visiting my blog. Nice to “meet” you.

b) My grandmother has forgiven me for dropping the “f” bomb on her.

c) Please stop leaving snarky comments on my blog. Who do you think you are?

d) I. LOVE. This. Blog.

Question 14:Shortly before Billy Coffey started writing his regular Monday posts here, I wrote an introduction post. What was the main reason I cited for asking him to guest post for me?

a) my desire to help him broaden his audience

b) lack of writing time due to several upcoming painting jobs

c) an attempt to class up the place

d) in increase in female readership

Question 15:Billy’s next novel is called “Paper Angels”. It is the story of:

a) a young southern boy and his love of origami.

b) a man with a guardian angel he can actually see and talk to

c) a rookie first baseman for the California Angels baseball team

d) a murder mystery set in a small logging community

So there you have it. Rather than leaving your answers in the comments section, thereby allowing others to copy you, I will be accepting answers via email at katdishrich@gmail.com until Sunday, November 15, 11:00 pm EST. The answers and the winner (or winners) will be announced on Monday, November 16.

Good luck to you all. And as with all my contests here at katdish.net (formerly Hey look a chicken), please NO WAGERING.

Several years ago, before the days of ipods and music downloads, I bought a CD on a whim. I’d never heard of the artist before, but something drew me to that CD. I now own 4 CDs by Jonathan Butler. He’s an amazingly talented acoustic guitarist with a voice like butter. He’s also a Christian, although not all of his work would be categorized in that genre.

I came across this song again recently and recalled how listening to it helped me through some difficult times. I share it today along with a prayer for anyone stumbling through the dark to look up. Miracles really do happen.

In a Miracle (by Jonathan Butler)

I know you feel like letting go
You’ve suffered more than I could know
But if you’d seen the things that I’ve seen
Hold on my brother now,
It wont be long

Don’t think that He’s forgotten you
He’s by your side within you too
Through your worst fears
He’s right there
Waiting for you now
Waiting for you

He can make any desert bloom
In a heart like yours there’s room
for changes
and the change is coming soon
Don’t you know it’s just begun?
We’ll move that mountain with love

In a miracle

And all the things you used to know
Like skies of blue and fields of snow
With my hand on my heart
I promise they are
waiting for you now
waiting for you

He can make any desert bloom
in a heart like yours there’s room
for changes
and the change is coming soon
Don’t you know it’s just begun?
We’ll move that mountain with love

In a miracle

There’s no limt to
all the things He can do
Imagine what He can do for you
He’ll rescue you safe
from the prison of pain
and back to your life again

Tears bring Him closer
closer to you

He can make any desert bloom
in a heart like yours there’s room
for changes
and the change is coming soon
Don’t you know it’s just begun?
We’ll move that mountain with love

In a miracle